


Tonight

by Miss M (missm)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-06
Updated: 2011-08-06
Packaged: 2017-10-22 07:06:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/235231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missm/pseuds/Miss%20M
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love is an inadequate word; freedom isn't. (Set during OotP.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tonight

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Tearlit in the 2009 round of hp_rarities on LJ. My thanks to Kelly for the beta.

It is not love -- or at least, not the cheap sort of love, that sentimental nonsense which will cause the downfall of her sisters: one of them clinging stubbornly to her weak fool of a husband who has let down his master again and again, and who will soon be punished for it; the other one degrading herself and her family by violating the ancient rules of the blood.

No, this is something else, something high and pure and noble, something which her sisters will never understand. Calling it worship is not precise enough.

Bellatrix kneels and looks up. Her lord smiles down at her, approvingly, as she opens his robes, her fingers trembling.

No, they will never understand.

 

***

 

Sirius wakes up shivering, with an ache in his neck. Swearing, he stands up to empty the tub and refill it with hot water. If he'd still had his wand, he thinks angrily, he could have cast a reheating charm -- but then he shakes his head, wincing at the pain.

They've been through this already. Dumbledore has a plan.

 _Wait_ , everyone says. _Wait_ , Remus whispers during those long nights when neither of them can sleep. It will be all right, soon. Sirius will be free soon; he will be free, and he will have another wand.

He must believe it. What kept him sane during all those years, if not belief?

Somewhere in the house, a door is opened and closed again. Footsteps resonate against the stairs leading to the bathroom. Sirius sinks back, letting the warm water enclose his already soaked limbs, his head falling back against the edge of the tub.

Remus comes in, looking worn and pale as he closes the door behind him. "Staying clean?"

 _"Toujours pur,"_ Sirius says, earning himself a tired grin. He spreads his knees to make room. "Get in... I've been waiting for you."

 

***

 

The Manor's inhabitants have all been chased off with strict orders not to disturb. There are still several hours left, and Bellatrix will make the most of them. She has been waiting for this; and what is more, she knows _he_ has, as well.

"May I, my lord?" she murmurs, asking for permission the way she has always done. He grants it with a sharp nod, his gaze piercing hers, burning red.

He is coming to life under her skilled fingers, growing and filling. She remembers the first time, how elated she had felt for weeks afterward, not being able to feel her Mark pulsate without remembering.

She is his servant, but she knows she needs this, possibly more than he does. The task lying ahead of them is important. She needs to know that nothing has really changed.

In a way, it is like purification.

 

***

 

They are silent for some minutes. Remus stretches out, resting his head against Sirius's shoulder, their legs mingling, pale and skinny under the water. The house is silent around them.

It's Remus who speaks first, hoarse voice low. "Have you been all right?"

'All right' would be stretching it, Sirius supposes as he contemplates his answer, running a thoughtful finger up and down the thin torso lying against his own. But at least he hasn't gone mad these last three days, even if he's been shut up here all alone.

He should be used to being shut up, but he'll never be, strange as it is; the loneliness is as heavy as ever. That can't -- that won't -- make any difference, though, and so he merely shrugs, pressing a kiss to Remus's neck. "As all right as I could be."

"You miss Harry." It isn't a question.

"Of course." _And you._ And his wand. And his freedom. And... But they've been through all this already, and Dumbledore has a plan.

So he says instead, "I've been thinking."

"Yes?"

"I've been a whiny wanker."

A huff of laughter. "You have."

"It's going to be different now," Sirius says, willing himself to believe in it. "It's going to end soon. I know." Remus turns to look at him, and Sirius tilts his head so that their foreheads rest together. "I can feel it."

 

***

 

Tonight -- it is happening tonight. Finally, after all this time, she will be there once again, doing his bidding, finding what he seeks. She knows the plan; she knows everything. The Dark Lord will have what he wants, and Bellatrix is going to be the one giving it to him.

There is so much the world does not know, so much which is revealed only to her. _The Dark Lord has no interest in the pleasures of the flesh_ , they say -- and her hands slide over his erect member, which seems to arch into her touch. _The Dark Lord does not care for any woman_ \-- and she revels in the glint in those red eyes as they focus on her, and only on her. _The Dark Lord loves nothing but power_ \-- and she smiles around his hard flesh.

After all this time, she is able to serve again, to do that which nobody else is allowed to do, tasting her master's very essence, his raw strength and power. It fills her with pride and certitude: now, more than ever before, she knows they will prevail.

Victory is near. She can feel it.

 

***

 

Almost a year in this house, endless years of imprisonment before that. It hasn't broken him so far; it's not going to, he won't let it. Right now, there's only this: being on his knees in the half-empty tub and bracing his hands against the edge, while Remus fucks him with slow, relentless motions, whispering pointless endearments against Sirius's neck.

 _Soon. Soon. Soon._

Hard, almost as if it's for the last time, and Sirius throws his head back, allowing himself to just _be._

 

***

 

All those years in Azkaban, and never did she long for her husband. Pleasing him has always been out of the question; being pleased by him is almost impossible. She could never have done this to him.

 _Bella_ , the Dark Lord moans, his long fingers curling in her hair, the taste of him sharp and bitter, as powerful as a Cruciatus Curse. Bellatrix swallows him down greedily, savouring every drop. It is almost like a test, to see if her faith has endured; it is a test she will take gladly, over and over again.

Tonight, her lord will regain what has long been lost. Tonight, she will bring him his Prophecy. Tonight will be the bane of Harry Potter.

Victory is near, almost sweet on her tongue amidst the lingering salt.

 

***

 

It isn't about love -- not the cheap sort, anyway, that sort which is talked about and giggled over by stupid girls, such as those he still remembers from his time at Hogwarts. No, this is something else, something infinitely more powerful, so powerful that it keeps him here, rooted in his prison home and still sane, despite everything. It has to do with friendship, he thinks, watching Remus's lean fingers intertwined with his own. Friendship, courage, patience. Lots of it.

And soon this will be over, and they can finally have what was taken from them, all those years ago.

Sirius smiles. He can already feel the taste of freedom on his tongue.


End file.
